滩地 (tān de) — beach; bottomland; floodplain (flat land along a river, lake, or coast)

Definition

滩地 (tāndì) refers to flat, low ground along a river, lake, or coast that is regularly covered and uncovered by water — including river floodplains, lakeside shoals, and coastal tidal flats.

noun
beachbottomlandfloodplain (flat land along a river, lake, or coast)

Examples

  • 滩地。
    Hé biān de tān de shì diào yú de hǎo dì fāng.
    The bottomland by the river is a good place for fishing.
  • 滩地。
    Zhè xiē tān de měi nián chūn tiān dōu huì bèi shuǐ yān mò.
    These floodplains are submerged by water every spring.
  • 滩地。
    Bǎo hù qū de tān de shì niǎo lèi qī xī de zhòng yào qū yù.
    The tidal flats in the reserve are an important habitat for birds.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

滩tānshoal
地dìland

Shoal plus land means flat land along water.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 灘; 滩 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
難
難nán灘tān
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 灘, 氵 (water) marks the meaning and 難 gives the sound; the simplified 滩 is a shorthand.

Open 滩 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

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